1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to optical communications, and more particularly, to flexible remote node (RN) for dynamic traffic allocation in passive optical networking (PON) and mobile backhaul (MBH) applications.
2. Description of Related Art
The broadband connectivity demand for data services is expected to rise for access networks. Passive optical networks (PON) are now being deployed in large numbers worldwide to support access services. In the access network, the rapid growth in data services has also recently led to an exponentially growing demand. In wired services, hybrid wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), time division multiplexing (TDM) PON has been studied as one of the solutions for the emerged capacity requirement. In the normal case, each optical network unit (ONU) group has its own wavelength and shared data carried by the signal. However, it happens sometimes that some of the ONU groups need more capacity due to the particular events.
In the TDM based PON or mobile backhaul (MBH) systems, the easier solution for a busy traffic jam is partial idling. For example, 10 users in the same group share the service. In a situation where all users need full capacity, the typical solution for TDM-PON is to separate the time slot to each user. Therefore some of the users have to be idled and wait till the service comes back. In this situation, the service is not continuous.
Accordingly, there is a need for dynamic traffic allocation in passive optical networking (PON) and mobile backhaul (MBH) applications.